Thrust-bearing.



cured to both rods and preferably formed integral therewith. This ball is mounted in a socket 8 on the frame, this socket being shown as secured to' the engine base adjacent the crank case. Y

The socket S, as. shown, is formed of two cupped members 'l0 and 11, these members being joined on a horizontal plane so that the cups register to form a substantially spherical socket or chamber 12 slightly fiattened at the equatorial zone and having an opening 19 for the radius rod shank. The upper cup l0 is the deeper of the two, and the member in which it is formed is rigidly secured to the frame or to any convenient rigid support, as the engine base 18 in connection with which it shovvn in 3 and 4. F or this purpose boltsor screws may be used, or the member may he cast integral with the engine frame. To receive bolts to fasten the socket to the frame, i have shown belt holes 13, and to receive bolts to attach the bottom cup to the top cup, l have shown boit holes i4. The upper cup forms the nearing for the ball and is constructed and intended to take the thrust applied to the radius rods. It is therefore desirable to maintain the ball in its bearing in this cup, and to this end I provide resilient means which tend to press it constantlyr upward into this bearing, For this purpose l have shown a piston or sliding block lfyi mounted to slide in a suitable guideway 1G in the bottom cup or member l1.` rl`he block l5 is forced upward by means ot a spring `17 .seatv ed in the aperture 16 beneath the sliding block or piston l5. As shown, the piston l5 is slightly cupped to'engage the surface of the ball.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the description taken in conl nection with the drawing., The upper cup, being made deeper than the bottom one, 1s intended to act as a bearing for the ball, the bottom cup being merely provided as a cover or retainer to hold the ball in position, but. in the absence of some means to force the ball constantly upward, the natural Wear, resultingvfrom deposited grit in the bottom cup, causes the ball to become loose andrattle and pound. At the same time the thrust line is lowered, due to dropping of the hall, so that the bottom cup takes the thrust, and finally the bottom cup is loosened and there is a tendency to shear the bolts. However, the resilient means Which I have provided, shown in the form of a spring and a piston, serves to maintain the ball in its rattling takes place and wear ot the castings does not vary the seat of the ball or introduce a tendency to pound. Adjustment is not necessary and the bearing does not crainp.

I have thus described a single embodiment of my invention in order thatits'iiature and operation may be clearly understood. However', the .speciticterrns herein are used in their descriptive rather than in Vtheir limitdeined in the claim.

I claim* in a running gear for road vehicles having axles and a frame, and springs connecting the front axle to the frame, in combination radius rods engaging the front axle, eX- tending backward and having a ball at their rear ends, a cup forming a bearing for the hall and rigidly secured to the frame and inclosing substantially half the ball so as to means for maintaining the ball in its bearing in the cup. Signed by me at Baltimore, lvlaryland, this Sth day of June 1912.

HENRY C. KIRK, JR. Witnesses EDWARD L. BAsH. EDWIN F. SAMUELS.

bearing in the top or deeper cup, so that no ing sense and the scope of the invention isreceive the thrust therefrom, and resilientv 

